1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the production and exploitation of fruits and nuts, particularly this invention relates to the production and exploitation of the drupacious fruits and nuts, and most particularly this invention relates to the production and the exploitation of the almond nut.
2. Background of the Invention
It is not a matter of common knowledge, now well understood in industry and commerce, that the sources of the almond nut is a fruit tree. The sweet almond (known variously by the botanical names of Prusnus amygdalus, Amygdalus communis, and Prunus dulces) is specifically a stone fruit also known as a drupe, in which the fleshy part, the mesocarp or hull, is derived from the ovary of the flower and surrounds the endocarp or shell, the teguement or thin papery covering of the nut, and finally the stone or nut itself. Almond trees are currently cultivated commercially solely for he value of the edible nut, or in the case of the bitter almond, for the flavoring extracts expressed from the otherwise inedible nut. Almonds are most closely related to other stone fruit, such as peach (Prunus persica), apricot (P. armenisca) and plum (P. domestica, P. instititia, et al.), characterized by having inedible stones, in the common understanding, for seeds of the fruit, and an eminently edible mesocarp (which is not referred to as a hull in the case of peaches, plums and the like). The edible mesocarp forming the basis for the commercial exploitation of peaches, plums and the like, are closely related to the hull of the almond.
Although the closely related fruits are grown throughout the nation, California is the only place in North America where almonds are grown commercially. In the past 30 years, California's almond yield has quadrupled. More than 400,000 acres in the lush San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys are under cultivation, stretching 400 miles between Bakersfield, Calif. and Red Bluff, Calif.
The process of growth, maturation, abscission, and senescense of the almond fruit, is such that early in its growth stage the hull can be eaten by humans processing pleasing taste, texture, and nutritional value, whereas by maturation and thereafter the hull is leathery in texture and astringent to the taste, although its nutritional value has actually increased. Unfortunately, this increase in nutritional values is accompanied by the presence of other chemical components which can temporarily sicken a human. Because most all of the almonds are grown in California, the overall process is well known and can be predictably timed.
Production of a good harvest requires a good chill during November and December which must be followed b a warmer January and February. The leaf-less almond trees then bloom. The almond tree can not pollinate itself; therefore, a productive orchard requires the presence of at least two of the five or so commercial varieties of trees available. Bees pollinate alternating rows of almond varieties. For optimum harvest, the orchards preferably remain frost-free with mild temperatures, preferably averaging between about 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and receive little rain from February onward so blossoms can flourish and bees can do their job most effectively. Because of the weather requirements, California's central valley provides nearly an ideal climate for the production of almonds.
In later Spring, the flower petals drop and new leaves appear on the trees. Then the first signs of the fuzzy gray-green "fruit" appear. As the fruit continues to mature it hardens and, in July or thereabouts, the outer covering of the fruit or hull begins to split open. Between mid-August and late October, the split slowly widens, exposing the shell of the kernel, allowing the kernel containing the nut to dry. The whole nut and stem finally separate and, shortly before harvest, the hull opens completely.
The farmer then harvests the almonds in the hull and separates and sells the nuts and other by products from the almond. Currently, in addition to the other products on the market, the almond industry now sells the hull. Any products which can be produced, in addition to the nuts and hulls, would aid in the continued commercial success of the almond industry.
Almost hulls form as a part of the almond fruit itself--indeed, as previously noted, in comparing almonds and peaches, for example, the hull is the fruit. They are produced as a by-product of producing the most-utilized part of the almond fruit, namely the stone or nut.
As recently as thirty years ago, the nutritional value of the almond hull was not sufficiently understood to induce almond growers to use them in a rational commercial sence. Consequently, after harvesting nuts, the hulls were either used for landfill, burned for removal, or perhaps burned for their fuel value.
Approximately thirty years ago, agricultural scientist in California introduced and pioneered the use of almond hulls in animal feed, primarily for cattle. Cattle are able to tolerate the chemical components which are unhealthful to humans and the supplemental nutrition of the hulls provides a low cost feed for the farmer and in turn, financially benefit the grower.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,489, Rabinowitz observed that several chemical components of almond hulls, present after fruit maturation, have individual and commercial value, and devised a commercial process to separate and purify each of them, while producing little waste. As an example of the benefit this process and similar processes have for the industry, prior to the introduction of the use of hulls for animal feed, almond hulls had a negative or zero commercial value, but he value quoted therein for feed usage at the date of issuance of the above identified patent for almond hulls was an average of about $50/ton.
Although almonds are widely used as food, and the hulls are now used as cattle feed and sources for other valuble chemicals, other new uses are always needed for the industry to keep developing. One potential use is as a skin medicament. It has now been found that immature almonds seem to have the beneficial skin effects of aloe vera--another plant used for its natural healing powers for the skin.
The aloe vera plant grows in semi-tropical climates and produces a fleshy, succulent, lance-shaped leaf. The leaf has jagged edges set with thorny spines along the outer edges thereof and quires structural rigidity by a plurality of hair-like connective fibers which run throughout the leaf. The plant is the source of at least two medicinal substances. The first is a mucilaginous yellow fluid which comes from the base of the leaves of the plant adjacent to the leaf rind. This yellow fluid is known as aloin and has been used throughout history as an active ingredient in cathartics and medicinal purges. The second medicinal substance produced by aloe vera is the clear gel taken from within the body of the elongated leaves. The gel is used in the preparation of medicinal compositions, cosmetics, soaps, medicants, and the like. Extracting the gel from the leaf poses some problems since the leaf must first be split lengthwise in order to make the gel accessible for recovery.
The therapeutic efficaciousness of the clear gel taken from aloe vera leaves is a function of the freshness of the gel. For other applications, it has been found the relatively old, unstabilized gel has been effective. This difference is apparently a function of the fact that the gel itself is a complex mixture of components which are affected in varying degrees by exposure to air and light at different temperatures and which may vary from batch to batch of gel.
One of the goals of aloe preparation has been to preserve its medicinal efficacy as well as stabilize it for use in cosmetic preparations. Aloe Vera is typically prepared wit heat to pasteurize the formulation. This can cause rapid destabilization of the preparation, so recently cold processes have been developed. Cold processes for preparing aloe vera gel are known which use the whole leaf of the aloe vera plant. However, these processes usually contain a chemical compound that is used for the purpose of killing bacteria.
The search for other natural products that provide some of the benefits of aloe vera continues. It has been discovered that immature almonds can be used as skin medicaments. It is known that varieties of natural products can be beneficial to the skin, acting as moisturizers and protectants of the skin.